


In the Middle of Them All

by hazardousgrace



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bullying, Conflict, Demons, Discrimination, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Genderfluid Character, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Internal Conflict, Non-Canonical Violence, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), ambisexual character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 01:18:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17091356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazardousgrace/pseuds/hazardousgrace
Summary: From birth, Rin was never what anyone would call a normal child. Little did anyone know, that possessing Satan’s blue flames and unholy DNA was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Only Yukio understands his twin’s struggle to find a home in a world that never loved him the way his family did.Join the characters from Blue Exorcist in an Alternate Universe where Rin struggles with more than one truth about his identity and Shiro discovers he's had a soft spot for demons, or at least one demon, since before the boys were even a possibility.





	In the Middle of Them All

_“_ _I've lived a lot of different lives, Been different people many times. I live my life in bitterness And fill my heart with emptiness. And now I see, I see it for the first time, There is no crime in being kind. Not everyone is out to screw you over. Maybe, oh just maybe they just wanna get to know ya…”_

 

“Forgive me, Father, for I have succumbed to unholy thoughts,” Father Fujimoto prayed, sitting on the edge of his bed with his forehead against his clasped hands while the vein in his forehead nearly popped right out of the skin covering it. “I confess that sometimes I just want to smother that thing in the other room…”

 

God never would seem to forgive Shiro Fujimoto for the things he would confess at those odd hours when the tiny demon baby named Rin would screech his lungs out. Shiro used to think it was due to the fact that Rin was not one of God’s children, but in fact was a son of Satan. In truth, it was because his thoughts towards Rin were unholy, regardless of who towards. Then there was Yukio who was presumed to be of God’s spawn, but it was hard to say when he was also born with Satan’s DNA. He looked more human than Rin, who was born shrouded in blue flames, but he still feared for the frailer twin’s fate.

 

_You’re going to raise the spawn of Satan?! You, the cold hearted exorcist?!_

 

Mephisto’s words rang through Shiro’s head more often than he cared to admit. What was he thinking… He wasn’t even fit to be a parent of a normal human child, let alone a couple demons! He had tried to be a doting father. The first couple of days weren’t that bad and he felt he’d done well. Then Rin’s true nature started showing through in little ways between being more active at night and more volatile emotionally. That’s when Shiro began to realize that he had promised Yuri something that he wasn’t sure he could fulfill. He already noticed his own tendency to avoid Rin if the baby didn’t require some sort of basic care like changing or feeding. He knew it was wrong of him, but he couldn’t help himself. He spent God knows how many years either avoiding or killing demons and now he was housing one confirmed and one potential demon.

 

“Father in Heaven, I pray for strength as I do my best to fulfill a promise I made to one of your children,” Shiro finished, pushing himself up from the bed with a sigh.

 

He made his way to the nursery and looked into Rin’s crib. The baby was still dry and had been fed less than two hours ago- he was no expert, but he was pretty sure that babies didn’t eat that often that Rin needed to nurse again. Father Fujimoto fought the itch to light one up and puff the smoke in the cheeky little bastard’s face for making a fuss over nothing. He scolded himself as soon as the thought had made it through. No, that was cruel of him, even if it was only a thought and Rin was a demon.

 

“What is it this time, ya little punk?” Fujimoto grumbled, scrubbing a hand through his hair.

 

After a moment, he noticed Rin kept turning his head towards his brother’s crib. Following this possible hint, he peered into Yukio’s crib. The more  human twin seemed fine- at first. Just when Shiro was about to demand what could possibly be wrong with Yukio, the priest realized that the baby’s chest wasn’t rising and falling with soft little breaths. He quickly raised Yukio from the crib and immediately began to perform the infant safe version of the heimlich maneuver. After a couple minutes of panicked, but gentle and timed thumps to the younger twin’s back, Yukio coughed and fussed softly. As Shiro hugged the baby so they were chest to chest, Yukio spit up all over him and he couldn’t have been happier to be covered in the foul smell that was regurgitated infant formula.

 

Once the relief wore off, Shiro realized the older twin was still screeching his upset at the top of his lungs and Yukio was on the verge of joining in. On a whim, the exorcist carried Yukio to his brother’s crib and scooped Rin up into his free arm. It wasn’t long before Rin  was reduced to sniffles, using one chubby hand to grab onto his caregiver and the other to grab his brother’s wrist. For the first time since he brought them home last month, Shiro showered the babies in kisses. Both of the twins cooed happily at the affection and began to blink slower and slower. Instead of tucking them back in their cribs, the exorcist took the boys to his room and made little pillow nests to keep them safe and within reach. The trio fell asleep to the deep, rough sound of Father Fujimoto humming a hymn.

 

==>

 

After about a year with the twins, Father Fujimoto started noticing some things. They were both quite smart, but there were certain things that Yukio understood faster and easier than Rin. For example, they were complete opposites when it came to object permanence. When he played peek-a-boo with Yukio, he was met with a very bored baby boy. Rin, on the other hand, would cry when the blanket blocked his view of his guardian. The poor little guy thought that Shiro actually left him. Though Rin was first to hit certain major milestones, like talking and crawling- even if his balance was a bit more unsteady than his brother’s. It was as if Rin was trying to make up for the fact that a lot of ‘book smarts’ went right over his head. Milestones were simpler for Rin and language was certainly his strong suit. Shiro would never forget hearing Rin say his first word. He had never referred to himself as their father since he was still uncertain whether it was appropriate or not. It wasn’t until Rin spoke that he knew where he stood with Yuri’s babies.

 

Shiro had laid the boys down for their nap around mid-morning and had come to check on them around lunch time. The monks of the monastery were already seated at the table and insisting that the boys join them. Of course, the once cold hearted exorcist caved at their request and tiptoed into the nursery to check on them. Yukio was still asleep and so was Rin. He found himself hovering over the latter’s crib, just watching the baby sleep. Shiro wasn’t sure how long he just stayed and watched, but it was long enough for Rin to wake up. The older twin yawned deeply with a couple tiny tears rolling down his cheeks from watery eyes. After looking around for a moment, Rin spotted Shiro above him and began to coo at the older man.

 

“Wakey, wakey, little one,” Shiro hummed, smiling softly at the child. “Time to get your brother and eat.”

 

After some babbling and spastic movements, Rin spoke, “Da-Dada!”

 

Shiro was stunned into silence for a moment before he realized what the spawn of Satan had just called him. It was then that he realized just how little the child’s heritage mattered. There was no way this child would become the unholy terror that he’d originally assumed him to be when he was so sweet and emotional- just like Yuri…

 

“That’s right, Rin,” Shiro praised, lifting the child into his arms and showering him in kisses. “Such a smart boy you are!”

 

“Da- Da!” Yukio softly chimed in as Rin cooed happily in their father’s arms.

 

“Yuki!” Shiro cheered, tears welling up in his eyes as he approached the other crib and lifted the younger into his arms. “My sweet sons!”

 

By the time Shiro rejoined the monks, he was a blubbering mess. None of them missed the chance to tease the priest for it either. How could they let him live it down when it was such a humorous sight? The one who once proclaimed he’d never start a family, who claimed that nothing had changed, who stated that he was only fulfilling a promise to an old friend, was a snotty, tear-stained mess after hearing the first words of babies that weren’t even biologically his and supposedly would never be seen as his.

 

==>

 

When the boys turned two, Shiro took them shopping for their birthday presents. He wasn’t really sure what the boys liked so he figured the easiest way was to let them pick. He was quite surprised by Yukio choosing a lot of the more advanced toys- ones that taught colors, shapes, and words, including a chair that was meant for learning during potty training- but no matter how peculiar he found Yukio’s picks, they couldn’t compare to the shock factor of Rin’s. At first, Rin picked out the normal pretend play toys like a little kitchen set of pots, pans, and fake foods, even shared some of Yukio’s interest in the learning toys, but then came the more curious selections. While Yukio picked out the odd figurines of talking animals that seemed cute, Rin eyed the baby dolls and princesses. Not one to disappoint his sons if he was able to make them happy, he bought Rin a baby doll that was supposed to look like a baby princess (the ones that looked like the princes didn’t cut it).

 

After the toys were picked out, Father Fujimoto took them to pick out clothes. Yukio loved everything that his father picked out for him- from the sunday school mini-suit to the playtime shirts and pants with little tennis shoes. Rin was satisfied with most of his wardrobe, but Daddy could tell there was something missing.

 

“What’s the matter, Tiger?” Shiro prompted, tipping Rin’s chin to look up at him.

 

“Daddy…” Rin sniffled, reaching for his guardian.

 

“Oh goodness sakes,” Shiro cooed, lifting the boy into his arms. “What’s missing, huh? Did Daddy not pick the right stuff?”

 

Rin didn’t respond, just clung to his father.

 

“Here, why don’t I set you down and you can show Daddy what’s missing, okay?” Shiro suggested, kneeling so he could set his older son down.

 

Rin nodded a bit and kept a hold of Daddy’s pant leg as he looked around. That’s when he spotted the two things he wanted the most. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that Daddy would say no cause he’s a boy. Everytime he played with girly toys or tried to play dressup, the grown-ups always assumed he stole them from other kids or that the girls forced him to play with them and made him play with other stuff. Pulling on Daddy’s pant leg, he reached up so his guardian would pick him up.

 

“Not yet, Tiger,” Daddy responded in a teasing voice with a kind smile, ruffling his hair. “You haven’t shown Daddy what you wanted yet.”

 

Rin felt his lip wobble as his vision went blurry and heard Yukio fussing in the cart, bothered by his brother’s upset.

 

“Daddy!” Rin cried, desperately reaching for him.

 

Shiro panicked, noticing some of the parents in the area looking concerned and judgmental. He knelt down and hugged Rin to his chest as his son sobbed. He took a deep breath and soothed Rin, “It’s alright. How about Daddy holds you and then you can play hot or cold to tell Daddy what you saw?”

 

Rin nodded and this time he actually participated. He nodded the closer Daddy got to the shirt he wanted. He hid his face as he saw Daddy’s concerned look. He knew Daddy wouldn’t like it…

 

“You like the princess shirt, Pumpkin?” Shiro questioned, confused by his son’s choice. His eldest was a much more sensitive soul than he’d thought as he saw Rin trying to hide his face. “You want the shirt to match your toy?”

 

“P’ease, Daddy?” Rin murmured.

 

“Will this make you happy?” Shiro questioned, trying to keep an open mind. Maybe the kid just really likes pretty girls?

 

Rin nodded, clinging to his father.

 

“Okay, Pumpkin,” Shiro consented, grabbing the right size. “Was there anything else you wanted?”

 

Rin nodded ever so slightly and helped to guide his Daddy to the cute little gray sweater dress with a tutu and characters from the worldwide phenomenon about a secret world of magic users pasted all over it. Shiro simply picked out the correct size and added it to the cart. He could always remove the tutu if he needed to. He didn’t want Rin to get bullied but he wanted his little boy to be happy. Rin could do a lot worse than wearing pink or a tutu.

 

“All better, Pumpkin?” Shiro prompted, bouncing his boy in his arms.

 

Rin nodded and reached for Yukio. The priest lifted the boys into his arms and set them down on the handle of the shopping cart, supporting them as he pushed the cart towards the checkout. He shot the cashier a dirty look as she made a face at the girly items in his cart.

 

“So which one’s your little princess?” She asked, a tightness to her smile as her tone betrayed her judgment.

 

“They’re both boys and I support them no matter what.” Shiro shot back.

 

“Isn’t that… like against your religion?” She pressed, avoiding eye contact as she bagged his purchases. “Isn’t it Satanic worship to go against what God intended?”

 

“Listen, Lady, I’m a priest and I think I know pretty well what God is and is not okay with,” Shiro ground out, his eye twitching ever so slightly. “I think you’re forgetting one of the ten commandments- more specifically, ‘love thy neighbor.’ I’m confident that judgment is not a part of that. In any case, it’s not your place to judge me or my boys, it’s His. Just please do your job and I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

 

It was safe to say that Shiro had a little chat with the woman’s manager for inappropriate commentary against his family. Being a priest, he was respected more by most people and the manager happened to be a God-fearing woman herself. He was more than a little satisfied with the talking to the woman received on his behalf. The ride home was fairly satisfying as he thought about the steps he’d taken to prove his love and loyalty to his adopted family. He was pretty sure God wouldn’t mind his somewhat presumptuous attitude since it was in defense of his family. Besides, God probably wanted him to spread the word of love and acceptance.

 

==>

 

The first day of preschool was Hell for the Okumura twins. Not only were they unused to the separation since the daycare they attended was held at the monastery, but the kids at that particular preschool were pretty rough to be around in general. The biggest bully in the toddler

class was actually a little girl that was quite the spoiled brat- and Shiro thought the boys were spoiled, yeesh! The first hint that Shiro had of how horrible it was for his little guys was the fact that Rin- and shortly after Yukio- reverted back to using their pacifiers which they’d been weaned off of for nearly half a year. Another small hint was how clingy they were after spending a day at the preschool. The teacher was a delight, which was evidenced by the twins’ excitement upon seeing her. It wasn’t until after they realized Daddy was leaving them there that they devolved into tears and- in Rin’s case- screeches.

 

There was one day that determined that Shiro couldn’t bring them to the preschool anymore. It was the last day before the weekend and the twins were particularly fussy. Thursday was their last class for the week, not that it meant anything to the kids. Shiro passed off the already tearful toddlers to the two teachers in the room. There were already two kids in the room.

 

“Dada!” Rin sobbed as soon as he was set down in the room with Yukio clinging to him.

 

“Rinny, you’ll have fun today, I promise,” Shiro reassured his little boy before turning to the teacher. “They have their soothers. Just give them to the boys if they get any more upset. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to call me.”

 

“Just like every other day, we promise and the boys will be just fine.” She assured the exorcist. “I’m sure you have lots to do before the end of class today so go ahead and take care of those things. We’ll be here.”

 

“Alright, alright…” Shiro sighed, waving to his boys before the teacher closed the door in his face.

 

On his way back to the monastery, the priest took a rare moment to indulge himself and lit a cigarette. He didn’t feel the itch or the need like he used to, but it was still a comfort on days like this where things felt off in a way he couldn’t quite pin his finger on. He blew out a puff of smoke and disposed of the snuffed out bud. It was a little too peaceful in the normal world, which usually meant something big was about to happen- or at the very least, something that proved to be an extraordinary and inconvenient pain in the ass to the revered exorcist. Shiro’s hunch became a reality when he was two blocks from the monastery. One of the monks- Seishiro- seemed panicked, but his composure was astounding. Seishiro’s hand shook as he reached out and grasped Father Fujimoto’s arm, beginning to drag the seasoned exorcist back to their temple.

 

“What has gotten into you?” Shiro hissed, confused by the odd behavior and lack of explanation.

 

“Nothing. It’s what got into the temple that’s the problem,” Seishiro responded, avoiding eye contact. “It says it knows you…”

 

“It?!” Shiro demanded as they entered through the front gate. “What is it?!”

 

“We were hoping you could explain,” Seishiro responded.

 

Upon entering the temple, Shiro was overwhelmed by the smell of sulphur. He gagged and coughed to clear the pungent smell from his nose and throat, but it wasn’t going away anytime soon. There were scorch marks near the altar in the center of the temple in addition to some smaller tables and candles they had become a waxy-charcoal mess. It was certainly something demonic judging by the smell and the damage. Though, the intent of whatever demon or demonic thing that entered was about as clear as mud. As he studied the room for further hints as to what or who might have made its way in, he heard the banging and spotted Maruta and Kyodo sitting on top of a large chest. Groaning, Father Fujimoto approached the pair and crossed his arms.

 

“Dare I ask what’s in the box?” Shiro prompted.

 

“We had no choice, Father!” Maruta insisted, startling as particularly hard hit from the thing in the box nearly knocked the man off balance. “She came from Gehenna! We couldn’t risk letting her roam free!”

 

“Can we just examine the fact that you two are potentially smothering the thing that can give us answers?” Father Fujimoto pointed out. “That whatever it is knows its chances of survival are low considering the fact it hasn’t outright murdered all of you? If that’s a demon in the chest, it doesn’t have to stay there. This one clearly has a purpose and no intent to kill yet. Don’t you think we should find out why before it gets pissed and tries to murder you two boneheads?”

 

Kyodo avoided eye contact as he begrudgingly nodded. Maruta pleaded for forgiveness as they both rose from atop the box. Shiro braced himself and pulled out his flask of holy water. He wasn’t about to get his ass handed to him when he wasn’t even the one that pissed the thing off. As the three watched and waited, ready to counter an attack, the box shook and fell backwards on its side. A hissing sound followed as the lid to the trunk slammed on the ground. As the four men cautiously stepped forward, they found a female demon with deep green hair that had streaks of a dark blue in it. Her skin was fair and her form curvy but still petite. She was bleeding from her neck on the left side, a couple inches below her jaw line. As they caught sight of her face, they noticed her right eye was green but the left was blue. They stepped back as she stumbled to her feet and sat on the overturned chest. Hissing once more, she pulled on a pair of tinted glasses.

 

“You creatures have no sense of hospitality,” She bitched, straightening her deep burgundy and black, off the shoulder dress and the matching bow in her hair. “I hate to see what you do to women of your own kind.”

 

“Shit,” Shiro grumbled with a sigh. “What the hell are you doing here?!”

 

“Rude.” She spat back, pulling a deep red lipstick out of her tiny black purse and reapplying as she eyed him. “Is that any way to speak to a lady of any origin, Shiro?”

 

“Of all the things you are, Jezebeth, lady is not among them,” Shiro shot back. “Now, I’ll ask you one more time. Why the fuck are you here?”

 

“Daddy kicked me out,” Jezebeth pouted, snapping her clutch shut and snubbing him as she answered. “And the name’s Pandora, you angel blowing moron. Jezebeth is my middle name.”

 

“That is the most disgusting pet name you’ve ever used for that cretin.” Shiro shuddered, trying to erase the image of her calling Satan, ‘Daddy.’ “You’re not even his daughter. You know I’ll never call you that because your given name is Jezebeth.”

 

“You have to in Asiah,” Pandora smugly replied. “Everyone already knows me by name. They’d think you’d gone mad if they heard you calling me the name of a demoness.”

 

“Pandora is the name of a woman who unleashed evil on the earth,” Shiro reminded her. “There’s no winning the argument over which name is less evil in the eyes of humans.”

 

“Well I prefer Pandora and that’s what you’ll call me if you want your precious answers,” She insisted, choking on a bit of blood that she then spat on the floor. “What a parting gift…”

 

“Parting gift?!” Shiro demanded, not sure where to start. He was furious that she was getting her tainted blood all over the temple, frustrated that she was even there, and annoyed that he even wanted the answers to any of the questions over just sending her sorry ass back to Gehenna. “Why are you bleeding all over my temple?!”

 

“Shiro…?” Seishiro spoke up before she could respond.

 

“What?!” Shiro growled, taking a deep breath. “I apologize. What were you going to say?”

 

“Who is this demon and how do you know her?” Kyodo pressed on for him.

 

“I’ve sent her back to Gehenna who knows how many times and after awhile, she leeched onto me.” Shiro explained. “She goes by Pandora in our realm, but her given name is Jezebeth. Her full name is Pandora Jezebeth Besmont. The first and last are more of a formality and nod to human tradition. In Gehenna, everyone knows her by Jezebeth. She’s the demon of falsehoods. She thrives off of anger and will happily follow you around for the rest of your life if she thinks you’ll get angry and lose it.”

 

“Shiro’s always had the most delicious fits of rage,” Pandora spoke up as she rose to her feet and circled the priest in question. “Oh, Shiro, don’t you just love when we come for a visit? The stench of sulphur and rotting flesh filling the air… The scorch marks and blood painting the temple…”

 

“Give it up, Besmont,” Shiro chided. “You won’t get a rise out of me again. I know you’re here and what you do. There’s no getting under my skin now.”

 

“Are you sure?” She tempted, pulling a blood-spattered envelope out of her cleavage. “I’m certain that His Unholiness’ orders will be more than enough to get a decent rise out of you.”

 

“I have better things to do than falling prey to the likes of you,” Shiro disagreed.

 

“Oh, but I thought those bouncing baby boys meant the world to you,” Pandora prodded, an evil little grin on her sinfully full lips. “I know they mean all the worlds to the Lord of Darkness.”

 

“I can send you back in two seconds flat,” Shiro coolly warned. “Why were you sent here?”

 

“To get his precious babies back, of course.” Pandora answered with an exaggerated eye roll. She seemed agitated by her assignment, but why was another mystery. “He’s still mad at me so now I’m the new nanny for his spawn. If I can’t bring them back, I’m glued to them until he can open the gate.”

 

“This is a sanctuary for men of the Lord,” Kyodo spoke up. “There will not be a succubus living on sacred ground! You’ve already desecrated our temple with your foul essence!”

 

“I’ll handle this, Kyodo,” Shiro butted in. “You’re not going to be here driving my family mad and feeding off their rage. Go find somewhere else and watch from the distance if you have to, but you’re not getting anywhere near my boys.”

 

“You know I’ll sink my claws into them someday. It’s just a matter of time, Shiro,” Pandora reminded him,  pulling out circa 1920s style cigarette holder and lighting one. She took a puff and blew a ring of smoke around his face. “They’re the spawns of Satan himself in a mortal world. They’ll lose their cool someday and I’ll be there, feeding off of every broken chair, every swear, and every last drop of blood they spill in their unholy rage.”

 

“You’re wrong,” Shiro shot back. “Yukio wasn’t born with Satan’s power and Rin’s was taken away.”

 

“Oh, I already know about your little wager with Mephistopheles,” Pandora deviously smiled, taking another puff of her cigarette- the smoke reeked of rotten flesh and moldy antiques. “You’re a fool to think it’s been removed. He simply tucked it into the sword equivalent of my box. There’s a decent lock on it, but it’s not sealed away forever. All it takes is one life shattering event to send him spiraling into madness. Demons act out in Asiah because they can’t fully exist since a part of them is left in Gehenna. That’s why we all go mad and torment those that can be fully in the promise realm.”

 

Shiro faltered at her words. He hadn’t thought to ask what Mephisto had actually done by sealing those flames away in the Koma sword. The fact that it was no better than one of her shitty boxes was one of the least comforting things to hear. On top of that, all it would take was one hefty trigger to break the lock on said box and he’d have a full fledged demon on his hands. What was he supposed to do then? The kid was his son now… If he went full-on demon, would Shiro be able to tame him or would he have to banish the kid to Gehenna? What if banishment wasn’t even an option? What if death was the only solution?

 

“Oooh, Shiro, yes, please!” Pandora moaned, reveling in his misery. “You’re pain is the suture to my wounds.”

 

Seishiro and Maruta blushed at the peculiar scene before them while Kyodo scowled at the demoness. Shiro snapped out of it, blushing, as he realized he was feeding her with his worries.

 

“Enough!” Shiro commanded. “We’ll have none of that in this sanctuary. Get your rocks off elsewhere.”

 

“Fine,” Pandora sighed, blowing another puff of smoke. “So what room am I staying in?”

 

“None. You’re not welcome on this property.” Shiro flatly answered. “Go back to your old hiding places.”

 

“Shiro, we both know the dangers that come with children- demon or not,” Pandora reminded him. “You can try to fight off the threats and handle any demonic temper tantrums from the twins on your own and hope that you’re not the next rotting corpse in Astaroth’s bed or you can accept my help and live to see them graduate high school at the very least.”

 

Before Shiro could answer, she dragged him out behind the temple to the circle fountain in the small garden. She pulled him to stand in it with her and looked around. Pandora hissed and growled at a couple different places, but Shiro couldn’t tell what was there to scare off by the time he looked. Whatever she had to tell him must’ve been fairly important if she was willing to burn some flesh in a fountain of holy water.

 

“I have to make this quick because this hurts like a bitch,” Pandora ground out, acutely aware of the other monks watching from the doorway. “Satan can’t distinguish between demon essences. Not even between his own kin and the others. The more time I have to smother them in my essence, the less likely he is to know what happens with them. The only thing that could tip him off is the awakening of the flames in the twins, which I may still be able to dull if I can get my potency back up. And, yes, in order to do so, I’ll have to piss some people off and feed on the aftershocks. On the brightside, politicians are always pissing someone off.”

 

“I’ll think about it.” Shiro qualified, watching her lurch out of the fountain, hissing and spitting in pain. The flesh on her legs from mid-shin down was completely gone and some holes in the muscle were showing the bone in the center.

 

“Fuck me!” She groaned, kicking her heels off and pouring the rotting remains out. “The things I do for you creatures!”

 

“And I appreciate it,” Shiro begrudgingly thanked. “As soon as you’re all healed up, you need to leave. I have errands to run and a temple to clean before I have to pick the boys up from class.”

 

“Are you kidding me?” Pandora gaped, flinching as her legs began to heal. “They’re infants and you put them in school?! Don’t  you know how dangerous that is?!”

 

“The benefits outweigh the risks of leaving them in the care of certified strangers,” Shiro dismissed, lighting a cigarette. “They’re professional teachers that work specifically with their age group.”

 

“Maybe for humans!” She snapped. “Handing a demon that young to ignorant mortals is like handing a human baby fresh out the womb to a starving Aswang or Lamia! Demons grow and mature much slower than humans, you ignorant prick!”

 

“They’ll be fine,” Shiro insisted, struggling to maintain his composure. He knew sending them to preschool was a mistake. They should have stayed in nursery school at the monastery. “They’ve been going for almost a month and nothing’s happened.”

 

“Count your curses that they’re still alive,” Pandora spat, rising to her feet which were barely recovered, most of the epidermis still missing. “If they are harmed at that supposedly safe place, the blood will be on your hands. If you’re lucky, the Dark Lord will never find out what you’ve done.”

 

With that, she limped her way to the back of the property and gracefully- with much effort- leapt over the wall. With her legs disfigured and exposed, she couldn’t risk being spotted unless she wanted to play the victim and claim that she was attacked. Pandora, as manipulative as she was, hated playing the damsel in distress. Shiro watched her go with a sinking feeling in his gut. If she was right, something bad would happen to the boys sooner or later and he couldn’t afford to let her win. If she did, he’d lose the twins and she’d take them back to Gehenna. He couldn’t let that happen no matter the cost. If it meant pulling the boys out of the preschool and having to make a deal with Pandora, then he’d do it to make sure the boys were safe.

 

Later that day, Shiro took the bus to pick up the twins. On the way there, he thought about Pandora’s words. He wondered if their minor regression was the demon side reverting them back to their normal state as a much younger being… Anything was possible, if he was being honest with himself. Honestly, having them stay little longer didn’t sound like the worst thing that could happen. The sooner the boys grew up, the sooner they’d be on someone’s hit list. The exorcist was pulled from his thoughts as the bus stopped a block away from the preschool. This is where he’d get off and walk over to grab the kids. On the way in, there seemed to be a lot more crying kids than normal. Naturally, a lot of kids were mentally and physically exhausted after being separated from their guardians, learning and relearning many different things, but this many was out of the norm. As he got to the end of the hall leading to Rin and Yukio’s classroom, he heard the familiar sound of Rin’s wails echoing from the classroom. He stopped as his stomach tied in knots and then found himself practically shoving all the other parents out of the way to reach his sons.

 

“What happened?!” Shiro demanded of the assistant teacher as he forced the door open, nearly breaking the child safety lock in the process. “Where are they?!”

 

“Rin pulled Yukio with him into the back corner of our storage closet,” The younger lady explained. “We can’t reach them and they won’t come out…”

 

“I’m only going to ask this one more time,” Shiro warned, his gaze nearly burning a hole in her. “What happened?”

 

“Adaline was throwing a tantrum and apparently her mood didn’t improve after time out,” The assistant confessed. “The kids were all playing with different toys at the time. Rin and Yukio were playing with the shape sorter at the table when Adaline came over and tried take it. Rin tried to keep a hold of it because Yukio was already getting upset about the whole thing. That’s when Adaline started shoving and hitting… The next thing we knew Rin had a cut on his forehead and Yukio was holding a hand over his right eye… We think Adaline shoved Rin so hard that he bonked his head on the table and she may have hit Yukio in the eye with one of the blocks…”

 

“How the hell could you let this happen?!” Shiro snapped, amazed at how little attention they seemed to pay to the kids they were responsible for.

 

“Well there are up to eight kids in the room and there’s only two of us,” She timidly argued. “It’s hard to keep an eye on all of them.”

 

“I know for a fact that you have five kids in this class and it’s nearly impossible for you to miss three of them getting in a fight even if one of you is preoccupied!” Shiro shot back. “I’m taking my boys and they’re not coming back.”

 

“Ms. Hanata, you might wanna move,” The assistant teacher spoke up.

 

“I am so sorry, Father Fujimoto,” Ms. Hanata apologized as she stepped out of the way. “Please don’t pull the boys out of class. It will ruin their routine and you said yourself that you don’t always have time to teach them the things they’re learning right now.”

 

“I’m not letting them come back just to get beat up by the same spoiled brat,” Shiro dismissed. “I found a nanny to look after them when I can’t. Simple as that.”

 

“Again, we’re very sorry,” Ms. Hanata repeated.

 

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Lady,” Shiro shook his head, squeezing into the tiny storage closet. “Rinny? Yuki? Can you please come out so Daddy can take you home?”

 

“D-dada?” Rin hiccuped, peering out from the corner under the lowest shelf in the closet. They were really squeezed in tight.

 

“That’s right, Pumpkin,” Shiro reassured him. “You wanna go home with Daddy?”

 

In another fit of sobs, Rin crawled out with Yukio right behind him. The two cried into their Daddy’s chest as he slowly maneuvered out of the closet and took their bags from the teachers. He shot a look of disgust at them as they left. On the way out, Shiro ran into the owner of the small preschool. She was curvy woman in her early thirties that always dressed like a kindergarten teacher.

 

“Father Fujimoto?” She called before he stepped out. “Is everything alright?”

 

“No, Jaquelin, everything is not alright.” Shiro responded. “The teachers allowed my boys to get beat up by a tantruming two year old girl. They don’t watch the kids well enough and they only have five in the class. You can keep this month’s payment, but you won’t be seeing any of us again.”

 

“I apologize on behalf the preschool,” Jaquelin replied, clearly upset at the news that she’d hired incompetent staffing for such a young group of kids. “If you need someone else to watch them, I know a few people with excellent recommendations.”

 

“I appreciate the offer, but I already have a nanny lined up to look after the boys,” Shiro declined, gently squeezing the crying toddlers in his arms. “Goodbye, Ms. Jaquelin.”

 

“Goodbye, Father. I hope your day and theirs gets better,” Jaquelin sighed with a concerned frown. “If they have any doctors bills, please let us know and we’ll cover them. You’re a very important man in our community and they are very sweet boys so it’s the least we can do.”

 

“Thanks again,” Shiro added before heading out the door and back to the bus stop.

 

He’d spent so long telling those ladies off that another bus was already waiting there. He climbed aboard, receiving an understanding glance from the female bus driver, and settled in with his boys. They had calmed to sniffles and shakes, but were clearly still upset. Shiro simply hummed a hymn and rubbed their backs while occasionally doting on them with a kiss or two. He dreaded going home and discovering what damage had been done, both physically and emotionally. Even more so, he hated that he now had to call upon the woman that loved to make his life Hell. The Monks weren’t going to be very happy about her presence in the monastery, demon or not. It was supposed to be a sanctuary for men to avoid the evils of everyday life- including seductresses. Shiro frowned as the bus stopped and hefted his sleepy sons into his arms and made his way to the monastery.

 

Just outside the gate was Pandora, her outfit changed to a teal floral print skirt and off the shoulder sweater of the same color. She quickly snuffed out her cigarette when she saw him approaching with the boys. Her eyes were alight with awe and a maternal gleam, though the rest of her expression looked rather uninterested. It had always been like that with her. She wasn’t one to get involved with anyone because it was in her nature to push people away if she didn’t suck them dry. Shiro was the only one she seemed to have any control around. After all the tangles they had together, she grew quite fond of him even if he always sent her right back home.

 

“They’ve grown since I last saw them,” Pandora commented, tucking her cigarette holder behind her pointed ear. “You’re angry and frustrated. I can practically smell the fury just below the surface… What happened, Shiro?”

 

“You were right,” Shiro grumbled, continuing through the gate.

 

“I’m sorry, my ears must be clogged with brimstone,” She replied, following him in. “Say that again?”

 

“You were right. They’re too little compared to the other kids.” Shiro huffed, headed towards their private quarters. “This two year brat beat up the boys over some stupid toy. They were too little to defend themselves or even get help.”

 

“Show me.” Pandora demanded as they reached the family room.

 

Shiro sat down on the futon and shifted the boys to face Pandora. He could tell by the tension in her body she wanted to spill blood. Looking down at their faces, he could reciprocate the feeling. The table left a sizeable gash above Rin’s left eyebrow and Yukio’s eye was a bit swollen and definitely discolored. Pandora turned away and that’s when Shiro noticed the petite worn leather backpack she had with her. She turned back around after digging a tin out of it and unscrewing the top. Whatever balm was in it reeked to high heavens.  As she leaned in towards the boys, he pulled away.

 

“I’m trying to help here,” Pandora growled.

 

“I don’t think helping requires you to get that close,” Shiro pointed out, surprised that the boys weren’t cowering in fear of her. They actually seemed mesmerized…

 

“I need to scent them and force them to scent me or they won’t trust me enough to do anything.” Pandora argued.

 

“Scent them?” Shiro pressed, disturbed by the possible implications. “They’re not animals for Christ’s Sake!”

 

“But they are demons and that’s how we do things in the demon world.” Pandora shot back, practically baring her teeth at him. “How do you think Yuri was able to bond with those demons to the point that they would protect her from threats, knowing they could be sent back to Gehenna for their efforts? They scented with her to form the deepest, most trusted bond possible without being of the same blood.”

 

“Fine. If you have to do it, then get it over with,” Shiro huffed, kissing their foreheads.

 

Pandora slowly leaned in towards Rin, locking their eyes as she went. As she stopped a few inches from his face, she spoke in a tongue that Shiro couldn’t understand. Whatever she said made Rin coo softly in response. She lowered herself to the floor and bowed until her forehead and open palms touched the wooden boards. Slowly, Pandora pushed herself up and began scenting Rin from his tiny feet and up. When she reached his neck, she gently pressed her teeth against it before presenting her neck and allowing the toddler to bite it. She then repeated the process with Yukio, who was a bit hesitant until Rin reassured his brother with a hint of a smile and a squeeze of the hand.

 

“Why was there biting involved?” Shiro demanded, uncomfortable with demon customs being performed in his own living room.

 

“The biting is symbolic of submission and the willingness to protect until death,” Pandora explained. “By saying that I am submissive to him, he knows that to some extent I serve him and can be called on. When he submits to me, he accepts that I am the elder until he is of age and have some amount of authority over him as well as showing that he trusts me. As for the protection, demons are fiercely loyal. Guardians and mates will risk fates worse than death to protect those they love and bond to. Bonding is a sign that he is protected because he now has some notes of my aura, if you will, to ward off any unwanted beings.”

 

“So doing that will help you keep the wrong types away from them?” Shiro extrappleated.

 

“Basically, yes,” Pandora agreed, taking the tin from before back into her hand. “If you think saliva is gross or can’t stomach the demon ways, I suggest you close your eyes.”

 

“I don’t fully trust you with them yet,” Shiro shot down. “I’ll be keeping my eyes open.”

 

“Suit yourself,” Pandora submitted.

 

She scooped a large amount of the balm onto her fingers and licked it off, careful not to swallow any. She moved the balm back and forth in her mouth for a minute, shuddering at the taste. Once she was satisfied with the consistency and potency, Pandora leaned in- holding Rin’s face between her hands- and licked the cut several times. While the balm began to make its way through the older twin’s system, she did the same to Yukio- being especially careful to hold his eye closed. She quickly downed a drink from her water bottle to get the last of the balm out of her mouth before perching right at Shiro’s feet. Pandora knew that it was always the worst the first time, but it was worth it if they didn’t have to suffer longer than a few minutes. Just as she expected, Rin began to wail as the wound visibly began to heal. Even Yukio made surprisingly loud fuss over the balm repairing the bruises around his eye.

 

“What did you do to them?” Shiro demanded, at a loss for what he could do to alleviate their pain.

 

“I healed them,” Pandora growled. “You’re welcome, you pious ingrate.”

 

“How do I make the pain of their flesh rapidly healing go away?” Shiro pressed.

 

“They need a distraction of some sort,” Pandora answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“Pray tell, what exactly is a strong enough distraction?” Shiro griped.

 

“It’s easier if I just show you,” Pandora replied, sliding her arms out of the sleeves of her fitted sweater and shimmying the top down to her waist, smirking when Shiro averted his eyes.

 

Pandora cradled the boys in her arms and took a seat next to Shiro. As encouragement, she purred softly and nuzzled the twins. Both latched on once she adjusted her grip and she allowed herself a soft smile. Pandora blushed furiously and scowled as she noticed Shiro grinning at her as they locked eyes. She was a breeder in Gehenna so child rearing was part of her primary skill set. Despite her love of and knack for tearing people apart, she was actually rather tame and amiable. Truth be told, Pandora thought adults were high maintenance and frustrating, but offspring were straightforward and comforting. Perhaps it was thanks to her ranking in Gehenna as one of two primary breeders that gave her this outlook or just the hormones that came with almost constantly being pregnant. In fact, she was newly impregnated by Satan himself.

 

“What are you smirking about?” Pandora demanded, narrowing her gaze as she studied him.

 

“You’re not a complete demon after all. You have a soft spot,” Shiro chuckled.

 

“I do not,” Pandora vehemently denied. “My temperament in regards to the offspring is the result of conditioning in Gehenna.”

 

“Conditioning?” Shiro doubted, looking her over as much as he could without violating her with his eyes.

 

“I am a breeder in Gehenna. The Dark Lord and his kin use me to be fruitful and continue the lineage,” Pandora explained.

 

“That explains a lot, actually,” Shiro admitted, leaning back on the futon and folding his arms.

 

“What do you mean?!” Pandora interrogated, not sure she liked the conclusion he was coming to.

 

“You like to feed off the misery of those in Asiah because that is what is done to you in Gehenna,” Shiro stated, resting his chin in his hand. “They use you however they please and then toss you aside until the next time. You take the opportunity to prey upon people weaker than you in this realm to make up for the abuse in the other.”

 

“Don’t psychoanalyze me,” Pandora grumbled, hating the urge to cry that welled up inside her. She hated the hormonal roller coaster. “I’m not a specimen to study or a soul to save. I’m a demon and I’ll always be this way.”

 

“Okay, my bad,” Shiro responded, putting his hands up in a placating gesture. “Just seems like you might have a desire for a real family…”

 

“We don’t… don’t talk about that…” Pandora nearly mumbled, rocking the sleepy twins in her arms.

 

“You mean _you_ don’t talk about that,” Shiro corrected, a very serious look on his face. “I think it’s reasonable. I also think that you feel like you can’t do anything because you need Satan’s approval first. You might even be afraid of what he would say or do if you did anything he wouldn’t agree to.”

 

“You talk about the Dark Lord like he’s my husband or something,” Pandora generalized, rolling her eyes.

 

“You act like he’s your abusive husband,” Shiro turned around.

 

“Yeah, well, he’s not so drop it,” Pandora dismissed, reclining and kicking her feet up.

 

“Only for now,” Shiro submitted, rising and gently taking the boys into his arms. “Thank you for all the help. I’m going to tuck them in so they can nap and I would appreciate it if you would put those away. We’re in a freaking monastery for the love of all that’s holy.”

 

Pandora waited until Shiro was out of earshot before she dared to murmur, “The only holy thing I love is you, Angel Bait…”

 

She fixed up her top, gathered her shit, and stepped out into the courtyard. She could see many from her home world running about, seeking mischief, as she glanced the gate over her shoulder as the sun sank lower. Shiro and the other pious morons wouldn’t let her stay in the monastery so it was back to camping out. There was a pedestal where an idol once stood that had a decent vantage point over the grounds. It seemed as good a place as any. She leapt onto the man-made plateau and dug deep in her spell bound bag to pull out her fur and silk pillows and blankets, lazily arranging them in a nest. She swapped her outfit for a sleek but modest yet flattering nightgown and lounged in her bedding nest. Her belly had a more noticeable bump than before- this one was developing quicker than the last- as the life inside it continued to grow. Satan seemed satisfied with the heirs she bore him so far and his sons had yet to complain. Pandora sighed, hands cradling her abdomen, and stared up at the stars. She wasn’t home sick, but she had a very similar feeling flooding her body…

 

The next morning, Shiro woke up early and dropped the boys off at nursery school. He was nervous that he hadn’t seen Pandora in awhile. The exorcist wondered if he’d see her in a news story playing the victim after causing a calamity in downtown. He shook his head and made his way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Once he settled in with the guys, they watched the news together. Surprisingly enough, Pandora hadn’t caused any deaths or even upsets. Nothing out of the ordinary was reported. Restless and full of caffeine, Shiro excused himself to tend to the grounds. It had been awhile since he got his hands dirty and his mind certainly needed the distraction. He made his way to the shed where they stored the tools. Grabbing the hedge clippers, Shiro made his way to the courtyard to trim the shrubs. He had been astonished when he woke the boys for breakfast to find they were fully healed with no trace of a scar to remind anyone of what happened. Shaking his head for the second time that morning, he surveyed the grounds for a good starting point. As he spotted the old pedestal at the very back of the grounds, he noticed there was something occupying it.

 

Shiro moved in for a closer look to find Pandora asleep on a pile of luxury bedding. Well, he knew why she hadn’t appeared on the news. Sighing, Shiro stealthily climbed onto the marble platform and kneeled to wake her. He had to pause as he noticed her nightgown, white with black trim, was split down the middle of the skirt. It was what that split in the skirt revealed that concerned him. There was a sizeable bump on her abdomen, one that he didn’t remember seeing the day before. He liked to think himself well versed on demonology, but he just found the one bit that he knew nothing about- demon conception. The next thing he noticed was what concerned him more- Pandora wasn’t breathing.

 

“Pandora!” Shiro called, gently shaking her shoulder. “Wake up!”

 

He waited a moment, but her breathing didn’t pick up and she didn’t move. He knew that demons slept- not usually out of necessity but more out of desire- but he wasn’t sure that they slept like the dead… Shiro tried again to no avail. Pandora didn’t wake up. He decided to shift her onto her side to see if that did anything for her airways. It took a few minutes, but eventually she coughed and sputtered before her eyes opened and her chest rose and fell with each breath.

 

“Shiro?” She gasped, trying to get a grip on what was going on. “What are you doing in my nest?”

 

“I came to wake your lazy ass up,” Shiro attempted to play, to no avail. Sometimes, it was all too easy to forget she was demon.

 

“You know I’m nocturnal,” Pandora shot down, eying him and noticing his gaze on her more swollen abdomen. She quickly covered up with a fur blanket and cleared her throat. “Did you want something?”

 

“Yeah, to know what the hell is going on,” Shiro responded, frowning.

 

“You know what’s going on,” Pandora insisted, in no rush to explain.

 

“You said you were a breeder and demons grow much slower than humans,” Shiro reminded her, noticing something else that hadn’t been there the day before. “That doesn’t look like slow development to me. And since when do you wear a collar?”

 

“He didn’t.” Pandora growled, her eyes growing wide and teary.

 

Before Shiro could respond, Pandora was struggling to heft herself up. She made her way over to the fountain and looked at her reflection. The inhuman noise that erupted from her throat startled the birds and other small wildlife from the courtyard. The sound was certainly one of anguish and betrayal. Shiro cautiously approached the demoness and scrutinized her. A collar must mean something particularly bad or she wouldn’t have reacted this way.

 

“Who wasn’t supposed to do what, Panda?” Shiro gently inquired, crouching beside her.

 

“Satan collared me,” Pandora answered in a strained tone. “He only collars me when I’ve done wrong.”

 

“And the rapidly growing kid has nothing to do with this?” Shiro pressed.

 

“Full blood demon babies develop a faster rate in Asiah, but only in the womb,” Pandora explained.

 

“What’s the difference?” Shiro questioned, uncertain what a difference in realm had to do with anything.

 

“Gehenna isn’t the horrible torturous place you all claim it to be. We have blue skies and flowers and all, but it’s just a fake imitation. Gehenna was barren for the longest time after your kind exiled us.” Pandora elaborated, touching a finger to the holy water. Shiro watched as it showed a shadow box play of the scene that Pandora described. “Satan had no desire recreate what he’d worked so hard to help make. The fall was hard on everyone. You all forget that most of us were children of your God. We renounced Him after noticing some injustices. When Humans were created, Angels and all others were told to bow before His most perfect creation. Some of us refused and as punishment, we were banished and doomed to punish the unholy till the end of days when Amara will swallow us all and collapse in on herself, erasing any trace that we were ever here…”

 

“You haven’t really answered my question, Panda…” Shiro hesitated.

 

“The point is that it’s hard for things to grow and thrive in a lifeless world. You can imitate life and joy all you want, but nothing compares to the real thing,” Pandora simplified, leaning back from the fountain to sit on the ground. “Life grows slowly in Gehenna because it is a shadow realm. Not many things can grow in the shadows and my kind is no exception. Between the basic needs Asiah fulfills for my kind and the pure rush of being in our true home, the promised land, offspring thrive off their bearers’ wellbeing so the happier and more fulfilled we are, the better off the baby will be. But after so long in Gehenna, it becomes dangerous to bear young in Asiah. Many breeders have died as punishment.”

 

“I’m not normally one to curse, but that’s fucked up, Panda,” Shiro commented, sitting on the edge of the fountain.

 

“You haven’t called me that in a long time,” Pandora pointed out. “Why start now?”

 

“Ah, I blame these kids,” Shiro huffed out a dry laugh. “Yuri made some beautiful boys and they’re every bit as sweet and sensitive as their mom. Raising them these past couple of years has made me soft, I suppose.”

 

“Well, stop it, it’s weird,” Pandora laughed, leaning back with her hands on the ground behind her to expose her swollen belly to the world.

 

“Can’t be any weirder than your insta-baby there,” Shiro joked, lighting a cigarette and taking a puff.

 

“Let me get a puff of that,” Pandora spoke up, holding a hand out to him.

 

“No way in Hell, Panda,” Shiro denied her, taking another long puff. “You’ve got a life in there. It may not be one I’d normally support, but, like I said, I got a soft spot for ya.”

 

“You’re so mean to me,” Pandora grumbled, laying back on the ground and staring up at the bright and sunny sky.

 

“Ah, ah, ah!” Shiro coughed on a puff of smoke, nudging her with his foot. “No laying on your back. That kid’s tryin’ to suffocate you.”

 

“Ugh, you’re such a pain,” Pandora groaned, rolling onto her side towards him. “What does it even matter to you anyway?”

 

“Well, if you fuck up, I have no nanny for the boys and Satan discovers where we’ve been hiding for the past two years.” Shiro reminded her. “So I’d rather keep you alive. Besides, you’re practically a baby yourself. Someone’s gotta look after ya.”

 

“Excuse you,” Pandora shot back with a dry laugh and an incredulous look.

 

“I’m excused,” Shiro smirked, finishing off the cigarette and crushing the bud under his foot.

 

“I’m thousands of years old, Angel Bait.”

 

“Coulda fooled me.”

 

“Oh, really?”

 

“Really. You’re like a tiny little baby girl that loves to get on Daddy’s last nerve until he snaps,” Shiro explained. “One who finds it hilarious and fun when he finally loses it.”

 

“Only if you’re Daddy,” Pandora winked with a mock seductive look.

 

“You’ve got problems even God can’t solve,” Shiro teased.

 

“God gave me my problems so don’t even start with me.” Pandora warned, pointing a finger at him. “And don’t tell me God has a plan because I don’t believe that shit either.”

 

Before Shiro could answer, Seishiro approached the pair. The elder Exorcist could tell that his friend and coworker was offput and concerned by the swollen abdomen on Pandora. Glancing at the demon of falsehoods, he saw the devious smile on her face. She clearly planned to mess with him. If he weren’t afraid she’d do worse if left unsatisfied, Shiro would’ve stopped her. At the same time, he knew Seishiro was smart and skeptical when it came to demons.

 

“Would you like to know a secret, Little Shiro clone?” Pandora tempted.

 

“Sure,” Seishiro hesitantly agreed, glancing to Shiro to see the man putting his hands up as if to say ‘leave me out of this.’

 

“My vagina is the keyhole to the most easily penetrated box full of evil and potential mayhem,” Pandora shared, grinning as Seishiro blushed as a disconcerted look came over his face. “What you see here is the next ball of evil ready to explode right outta of the box and it’s all because men can’t keep it in their pants.”

 

“I highly doubt you’re telling the truth,” Seishiro dismisses, trying to purge the unholy images from his mind. “You’re the demon of falsehoods.”

 

“And yet even a demon can’t disfigure themselves in this way for the purpose of a joke or a lure,” Pandora reminded him. “Logic your way out of that.”

 

“She’s pregnant, Seishiro,” Shiro confirmed for him. “Apparently demon babies grow faster here and this one might kill her so it’ll be an equal exchange either way.”

 

“Either way?” Pandora demanded.

 

“Either the kid’ll kill you on its way out or we’ll end up killing it for trying something,” Shiro responded, not the least bit phased.

 

“You just said the boys made you soft!” Pandora argued.

 

“Cause they’re mostly human,” Shiro clarified. “The spawn in you is full demon and not gonna survive.”

 

“So if it was yours,” Pandora countered. “You’d let it live?”

 

“That’s a huge if,” Shiro guffawed, nearly doubling over. “As if I’d make love, let alone create life with you or your kind when I won’t even take my own to bed.”

 

“He has a point, Besmont,” Seishiro pointed out. “He is celibate by choice, not design.”

 

“You know, your God sees homosexuality as a sin,” Pandora pointed out, thoroughly unamused by all the ass-kissing. “I’d say Shiro must have his dick nice and deep in your happy ass if you’re this quick to side with him. I’d say down your throat but then how would you speak? Unless you’re talking out of your ass as usual.”

 

“Pandora…” Shiro warned, knowing exactly where this conversation was going. “Knock it off or you’re going on the next bus back to your penthouse.”

 

“Fine!” Pandora snapped, breathily hauling herself to her feet. “I’m going back to sleep.”

 

“You don’t even need sleep,” Shiro pointed out, confused by her mood shift.

 

“Yeah, well, I’m pregnant, moody, and want your race to kindly fuck off,” She grumbled, placing her hands on her aching lower back and shooting a glare at him.

 

“Panda…” Shiro called with a sigh.

 

“Don’t ‘Panda’ me, you pious ass,” Pandora shut down, turning away to head back to her nest.

 

Shiro sighed once more- it seemed to be almost as natural and common as breathing these days- and turned back to Seishiro. Something had to have happened or Seishiro never would have abandoned his chores to seek Shiro out. The younger man took his duties very seriously, which is what made Shiro take him on as an apprentice.

 

“Haruta sent me to find you,” Seishiro spoke up, answering the unspoken question.

 

“Haruta? What could possibly have happened in the nursery school?” Shiro pondered aloud. Haruta was a capable and gentle man who ran the nursery school with his wife. “I suppose we should go find out what’s going on.”

 

Shiro stood up, stretched, and followed Seishiro to the small amphitheater where the nursery school convened as the remodeling was coming to a close on their usual space. Shiro wasn’t sure what could have gone wrong since it had only been a couple hours at most since Rin and Yukio were dropped off with Haruta. Then again, he thought nothing bad would happen at the preschool and here they were, back at nursery school because it wasn’t safe.

 

“What’s the likelihood that the boys are being bullied again?” Shiro posed, itching to light another cigarette, but refraining.

 

“Bullying is very commonplace, but that’s not the impression I received from Haruta,” Seishiro responded, also concerned by the thought that they may not be able to help the boys.

 

When they arrived at the amphitheater, Shiro heard Rin crying bloody murder and then spotted him, in his favorite sweater dress outfit, sitting in Haruta’s lap next to a stack of chairs up against the wall that looked to have someone underneath. As the exorcist surveyed the room, he came to the conclusion that it had to be Yukio. The other kids were being led past him by Haruta’s wife and Yukio was not among them. It made sense that Rin would cry if Yukio was hiding or upset. Shiro had learned over the past couple of years that the younger twin would suffer in silence if it weren’t for his loud and blunt brother. That’s what made him appreciate Rin’s ear shattering cries in the first place. As Shiro began to approach, he had a feeling like they were being watched.

 

“Rinny, it’s okay,” Haruta attempted to soothe. “Yuki just wants some alone time.”

 

“I would agree, but Rin’s never been this upset without a reason,” Shiro spoke up, kneeling on the floor next to the pair. “Did something happen to Yuki, Rin?”

 

Rin struggled to calm down to properly answer his father. He hiccupped and nodded, reaching for the elder exorcist.

 

“Is he hurt?” Shiro inquired, cradling his oldest in his lap.

 

Rin shook his head, rubbing at his eyes.

 

“Is he sad?” Shiro pressed, relieved that his boys hadn’t been injured again.

 

Again, Rin shook his head.

 

“Is he scared?” Shiro guessed, rubbing Rin’s back while Haruta and Seishiro watched on.

 

Finally, Rin nodded.

 

“Did someone scare him?” Shiro assumed.

 

Rin shook head once more. Shiro wasn’t sure what else could’ve spooked Yukio so bad.

 

“Did something scary happen?” Shiro prompted.

 

Rin shot down that theory with yet another shake of the head.

 

“You’re asking the wrong question.” Pandora spoke up from the window sill.

 

How had he not seen her come in? Moreover, how was she fully dressed in a cream scoop neck maternity top and black jeggings already? She had been in her nightgown only a minute or two ago. Shiro had been watching her as they left… Then he noticed the black converse and his mind immediately went to how impossible it was that she tied those shoes when all that he had learned about pregnancy from checking on Yuri said that Pandora shouldn’t even be able to reach her own toes. Mentally shaking his head to dismiss those trivial inquiries, Shiro watched as she approached.

 

‘What should I be asking then?” Shiro demanded, a bit of irritation creeping into his voice.

 

“Did he see something scary and new?” Pandora prompted, sitting down next to them and shifting her weight to her right arm and hip.

 

Rin nodded, looking up at her in awe.

 

“How did you know to ask that?” Haruta spoke up, just as uncomfortable with the demoness as the rest of the monastery.

 

“My kind has a sixth sense for the abnormal,” Pandora answered then chuckled. “Actually, it’s common sense. Of all the humans in the world, those in your profession should understand the best.”

 

As Shiro thought about her words and the uniqueness of the boys’ birth, he realized what she meant. He mentally kicked himself for not picking up on it sooner.

 

“You’re old and slow, Grandpa,” Pandora derisively commented. “The Shiro I knew before Yuri was even a thought would’ve been receiving praise already for doing such a wonderful job of diagnosing and protecting a child’s innocence.”

 

“What has gotten into you?” Shiro challenged, stunned and irritated by her hostility.

 

“Focus on the kids, Gramps,” Pandora bitched. “Your precious boy has a temptate. What are you gonna do about it?”

 

“I’m gonna talk to him. He’s a smart kid.” Shiro coolly responded. “Take Rin. I have to coax his brother out first.”

 

Pandora softened as Rin was placed in her arms. The toddler stared up at her with curiosity and innocence. This is what she was meant to do. She was meant to create and protect life. The reason she was in this mess was because Satan asked her to teach Yuri how to be a breeder. As much as she claimed to hate Satan’s beloved human wife, Pandora knew that if she would’ve been able to escape and save Yuri, she would’ve died if it meant that her sister by oath lived. This child was an extension of Yuri, a second chance to accomplish what she’d failed to do so many times before. On top of her promises, she had to do what she could for Shiro. She would never admit it, but the bastard was probably her only true friend outside of the lower ranked demons in Gehenna. Watching on, Pandora saw that softness that drew her to Shiro and felt an awful pang for causing him so much strain over the years, but like many sinners in God’s chronicles, she knew not what she did.

 

“See, Panda?” Shiro spoke up with a smiling Yukio in his arms. “I still got it.”

 

Pandora affectionately rolled her eyes and gazed down at Rin, who was smiling and cooing at her as she ran her fingers through his hair and spoke in their native tongue, “I know who you are, puer dubiae suspensam. You are precious and the way you are meant to be. You are special. In a world full of sides, you are in the middle of them all. Never let anyone take that from you.”

 

Shiro wasn’t sure what Pandora said to his oldest son, but seeing the gentleness with which she treated him and happiness on Rin’s face, he was glad he’d agreed to let her be a part of this. She was no replacement for Yuri, but she was a good substitute to help them through it all. Perhaps she knew something of why Rin was so different from the other children. Maybe his girlish tendencies stemmed from his unfortunate lineage. After all, his resilience against growing up was supposedly typical of a demon child.

  
“ _Now the time is here, Baby, you don’t have to live your life in fear. And the sky is clear, is clear, of fear. Don’t wanna live in fear and loathing. I wanna feel like I am floating instead of constantly exploding in fear and loathing…_ ”- Marina and the Diamonds, “Fear and Loathing”


End file.
